Fossil Creek

Nov 13, 2024

We were impressed by this extremely beautiful creek, in a state that has very few paddling options in the fall. The water is ultra clear, flowing through a thick riparian area in the middle of Arizona, it feels out of place in a wonderful way. The pools were full of fish, and while I would describe the many travertine ledges, ramps and slides as 'silly', they were fun in a way children know that adults often forget. Seeing the area from a boat exceeded the already cool way of seeing it from shore.

At base flows around 50 cfs, I would not describe the whitewater as quality, though it did have it's moments. If you want quality whitewater, you need more than baseflow, around 150 cfs Iv'e read. If you just want to see a really cool place from your boat, base flow is fine.

Despite the small size making the whitewater less than great, I really appreciated the run and would definitely do it again, even at base flows. We used packrafts, but I would prefer a hardshell boat next time for better sliding and stronger material.

We went after permit season and camped at the Homestead access point.